Shloka 11

धनंजयस्य आश्वासनम्

Dhanaṃjaya’s Reassurance and the Opening Engagement

Devanagari script

अग्नेरीशस्य सोमस्य वरुणस्य प्रजापते: । तथा धातुर्विधातुश्च कुबेरस्थ यमस्य च

Transliteration

agner īśasya somasya varuṇasya prajāpateḥ | tathā dhātur vidhātuś ca kuberasya yamasya ca ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Die Luftwagen Agnis, Īśas, Somas, Varuṇas und Prajāpatis, ebenso die der Dhātṛ und Vidhātṛ, wie auch die Kuberas und Yamas, wurden gesehen, wie sie in verschiedenen Regionen des Himmels leuchteten—jeder für sich verschieden, jeder in der ihm eigenen Länge und Breite offenbar. Das Bild betont eine kosmische Ordnung, in der selbst die Mächtigen innerhalb ihrer zugewiesenen Gestalt und Sphäre sich bewegen, und deutet an, dass Macht nur dann Bedeutung hat, wenn sie dem rechten Rang und der Selbstzucht entspricht.

Word by Word

• {'agner (agni)': 'of Agni (fire-god)', 'īśasya (īśa)': 'of Īśa (a name of Śiva

• ‘the Lord’)', 'somasya (soma)': 'of Soma (moon-god

• also the Soma deity)', 'varuṇasya (varuṇa)': 'of Varuṇa (lord of waters

• upholder of ṛta/order)', 'prajāpateḥ (prajāpati)': 'of Prajāpati (lord of creatures

• progenitor)', 'tathā': 'and likewise

• in the same manner', 'dhātuḥ (dhātṛ)': 'of Dhātṛ (the ‘supporter/creator’

• a cosmic deity)', 'vidhātuḥ (vidhātṛ)': 'of Vidhātṛ (the ‘disposer/ordainer’

• arranger of destinies)', 'ca': 'and', 'kuberasya (kubera)': 'of Kubera (lord of wealth

• guardian of the north)', 'yamasya (yama)': 'of Yama (lord of death

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Agni
• Īśa (Śiva)
• Soma
• Varuṇa
• Prajāpati
• Dhātṛ
• Vidhātṛ
• Kubera
• Yama
• vimāna (aerial chariots)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights cosmic order: even the greatest divine powers appear with distinct forms and boundaries. Ethically, it suggests that true greatness operates within dharma—right measure, rightful domain, and disciplined restraint rather than chaos or excess.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a spectacular vision of many divine aerial chariots (vimānas) shining across different parts of the sky, each associated with major deities such as Agni, Śiva (Īśa), Soma, Varuṇa, Prajāpati, Dhātṛ, Vidhātṛ, Kubera, and Yama.